The financial advantages of medical scribes extend beyond increased visits.

Employing medical scribes can boost revenue for a practice, the authors show, well beyond being an opportunity to expand patient volume.

Improving clinical documentation of evaluation and management care and patient acuity improves reimbursement as well as quality metrics.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate documentation of patient care and acuity is essential to determine appropriate reimbursement as well as accuracy of key publicly reported quality metrics. We sought to investigate the impact of standardized note templates by inpatient advanced practice providers (APPs) on evaluation and management (E/M) charge capture, including outside of the global surgical package (GSP), and quality metrics including case mix index (CMI) and mortality index (MI). We hypothesized this clinical documentation initiative as well as improved coding of E/M services would result in increased reimbursement and quality metrics. METHODS: A documentation and coding initiative on the heart and vascular service line was initiated in 2016 with focus on improving inpatient E/M capture by APPs outside the GSP. Comprehensive training sessions and standardized documentation templates were created and implemented in the electronic medical record. Subsequent hospital care E/M (current procedural terminology codes 99231, 99232, 99233) from the years 2015 to 2017 were audited and analyzed for charge capture rates, collections, work relative value units (wRVUs), and billing complexity. Data were compared over time by standardizing CMS values and reimbursement rates. In addition, overall CMI and MI were calculated each year. RESULTS: One year following the documentation initiative, E/M charges on the vascular surgery service line increased by 78.5% with a corresponding increase in APP charges from 0.4% of billable E/M services to 70.4% when compared with pre-initiative data. The charge capture of E/M services among all inpatients rose from 21.4% to 37.9%. Additionally, reimbursement from CMS increased by 65% as total work relative value units generated from E/M services rose by 78.4% (797 to 1422). The MI decreased over the study period by 25.4%. Additionally, there was a corresponding 5.6% increase in the cohort CMI. Distribution of E/M encounter charges did not vary significantly. Meanwhile, the prevalence of 14 clinical comorbidities in our cohort as well as length of stay (P = .88) remained non-statistically different throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate clinical documentation of E/M care and ultimately inpatient acuity is critical in determining quality metrics that serve as important measures of overall hospital quality for CMS value-based payments and rankings. A system-based documentation initiative and expanded role of inpatient APPs on vascular surgery teams significantly improved charge capture and reimbursement outside the GSP as well as CMI and MI in a consistently complex patient population.

Cost of postoperative complications: How to avoid calculation errors.

Postoperative complications (PC) are a basic health outcome, but no surgery service in the world records and/or audits the PC associated with all the surgical procedures it performs. Most studies that have assessed the cost of PC suffer from poor quality and a lack of transparency and consistency. The payment system in place often rewards the volume of services provided rather than the quality of patients' clinical outcomes. Without a thorough registration of PC, the economic costs involved cannot be determined. An accurate, reliable appraisal would help identify areas for investment in order to reduce the incidence of PC, improve surgical results, and bring down the economic costs. This article describes how to quantify and classify PC using the Clavien-Dindo classification and the comprehensive complication index, discusses the perspectives from which economic evaluations are performed and the minimum postoperative follow-up established, and makes various recommendations. The availability of accurate and impartially audited data on PC will help reduce their incidence and bring down costs. Patients, the health authorities, and society as a whole are sure to benefit.

Speech recognition for clinical documentation from 1990 to 2018: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to review recent literature regarding use of speech recognition (SR) technology for clinical documentation and to understand the impact of SR on document accuracy, provider efficiency, institutional cost, and more. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched 10 scientific and medical literature databases to find articles about clinician use of SR for documentation published between January 1, 1990, and October 15, 2018. We annotated included articles with their research topic(s), medical domain(s), and SR system(s) evaluated and analyzed the results. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-two articles were included. Forty-eight (39.3%) involved the radiology department exclusively and 10 (8.2%) involved emergency medicine; 10 (8.2%) mentioned multiple departments. Forty-eight (39.3%) articles studied productivity; 20 (16.4%) studied the effect of SR on documentation time, with mixed findings. Decreased turnaround time was reported in all 19 (15.6%) studies in which it was evaluated. Twenty-nine (23.8%) studies conducted error analyses, though various evaluation metrics were used. Reported percentage of documents with errors ranged from 4.8% to 71%; reported word error rates ranged from 7.4% to 38.7%. Seven (5.7%) studies assessed documentation-associated costs; 5 reported decreases and 2 reported increases. Many studies (44.3%) used products by Nuance Communications. Other vendors included IBM (9.0%) and Philips (6.6%); 7 (5.7%) used self-developed systems. CONCLUSION: Despite widespread use of SR for clinical documentation, research on this topic remains largely heterogeneous, often using different evaluation metrics with mixed findings. Further, that SR-assisted documentation has become increasingly common in clinical settings beyond radiology warrants further investigation of its use and effectiveness in these settings.

Finance and Time Use Implications of Team Documentation for Primary Care: A Microsimulation.

PURPOSE: To estimate the conditions under which team documentation-having a staff member enter history, place orders, and guide patients-would be financially viable at primary care practices, accounting for implementation costs. METHODS: We applied a validated microsimulation model of practice costs, revenues, and time use to data from 643 US primary care practices. We estimated critical threshold values for time saved from routine visits that would need to be redirected to new visits to avoid net revenue losses under: (1) a clerical documentation assistant (CDA) strategy where a scribe assists with recordkeeping; and (2) an advanced team-based care (ATBC) strategy where medical assistants perform history, documentation, counseling, and order entry. RESULTS: Using a fee-for-service model, we estimated that physicians would need to save 3.5 (95% CI, 3.3-3.7) minutes/encounter under a CDA strategy and 7.4 (95% CI, 4.3-10.5) minutes/encounter under an ATBC strategy to prevent net revenue losses. The redirected time would be expected to add 317 visit slots per year under CDA strategy, and 720 under ATBC strategy. Using a capitated payment model, physicians would need to empanel at least 127 (95% CI, 70-187) more patients under CDA and 227 (95% CI, 153-267) under ATBC to prevent revenue losses. Additional patient visits expected would be 279 (95% CI, 140-449) additional visit slots per year under CDA and 499 (95% CI, 454-641) under ATBC. CONCLUSIONS: Financial viability of team documentation under fee-for-service payment may require more physician time to be reallocated to patient encounters than under a capitated payment model.

Implementation of medical scribes in an academic urology practice: an analysis of productivity, revenue, and satisfaction.

PURPOSE: Pressure on physicians to increase productivity is rising in parallel with administrative tasks, regulations, and the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Physician extenders and clinical pathways are already in use to increase productivity and reduce costs and burnout, but other strategies are required. We evaluated whether implementation of medical scribes in an academic urology clinic would affect productivity, revenue, and patient/provider satisfaction. METHODS: Six academic urologists were assigned scribes for 1 clinic day per week for 3 months. Likert-type patient and provider surveys were developed to evaluate satisfaction with and without scribes. Matched clinic days in the year prior were used to evaluate changes in productivity and physician/hospital charges and revenue. RESULTS: After using scribes for 3 months, providers reported increased efficiency (p value = 0.03) and work satisfaction (p value = 0.03), while seeing a mean 2.15 more patients per session (+ 0.96 return visits, + 0.99 new patients, and + 0.22 procedures), contributing to an additional 2.6 wRVUs, $542 in physician charges, and $861 in hospital charges per clinic session. At a gross collection rate of 36%, actual combined revenue was + $506/session, representing a 26% increase in overall revenue. At a cost of $77/session, the net financial impact was + $429 per clinic session, resulting in a return-to-investment ratio greater than 6:1, while having no effect on patient satisfaction scores. Additionally, with scribes, clinic encounters were closed a mean 8.9 days earlier. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing medical scribes in academic urology practices may be useful in increasing productivity, revenue, and provider satisfaction, while maintaining high patient satisfaction.

Identification, Coding, and Reimbursement of Pediatric Malnutrition at an Urban Academic Medical Center.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition released a pediatric malnutrition consensus statement in 2014 recommending the use of z-scores as indicators for identification and documentation of malnutrition. A shift in focus is needed on standardizing pediatric malnutrition language at institutions nationwide to make study data comparable. With this standardized language, establishment of institutional baselines for identification, coding, and reimbursement of pediatric malnutrition is crucial to measure process improvements. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among pediatric patients at an urban academic medical center, the frequency of malnutrition codes used, and the reimbursement impact of coding for malnutrition. METHODS: Electronic medical records of pediatric patients admitted from January 2013 to December 2015 were reviewed. Malnutrition was identified based on registered dietitian identification and z-score. Patients given a malnutrition-related International Classification of Diseases code upon discharge were identified. A reimbursement calculation was performed: the malnutrition-related International Classification of Diseases code was removed to determine the difference in reimbursement with vs without the code. RESULTS: Of the 1,532 admissions included in this study, 464 (30%) were identified as malnourished. A total of 152 (33%) malnourished patients were given a malnutrition-related secondary diagnosis. The calculation revealed that coding for malnutrition resulted in an additional $27,665.70 to the medical center. CONCLUSION: Malnutrition coding may have a significant financial impact and processes improvement efforts can be made to improve malnutrition coding.

The Hidden Cost of Regulation: The Administrative Cost of Reporting Serious Reportable Events.

BACKGROUND: More than half of the 50 states (27) and the District of Columbia require reporting of Serous Reportable Events (SREs). The goal is to hold providers accountable and improve patient safety, but there is little information about the administrative cost of this reporting requirement. This study was conducted to identify costs associated with investigating and reporting SREs. METHODS: This qualitative study used case study methods that included interviewing staff and review of data and documents to investigate each SRE occurring at one academic medical center during fiscal year 2013. A framework of tasks and a model to categorize costs was created. Time was summarized and costs were estimated for each SRE. RESULTS: The administrative cost to process 44 SREs was estimated at $353,291, an average cost of $8,029 per SRE, ranging $6,653 for an environmental-related SRE to $21,276 for a device-related SRE. Care management SREs occurred most frequently, costing an average $7,201 per SRE. Surgical SREs, the most expensive on average, cost $9,123 per SRE. Investigation of events accounted for 64.5% of total cost; public reporting, 17.2%; internal reporting, 10.2%; finance and administration, 6.0%; and 2.1%, other. Even with 26 states mandating reporting, the 17.2% incremental cost of public reporting is substantial. CONCLUSION: Policy makers should consider the opportunity costs of these resources, averaging $8,029 per SRE, when mandating reporting. The benefits of public reporting should be collectively reviewed to ensure that the incremental costs in this resource-constrained environment continue to improve patient safety and that trade-offs are acknowledged.

Trauma Surgeons Save Lives-Scribes Save Trauma Surgeons!

With the advent of the electronic medical record, the documentation burden of the trauma surgeon has become overwhelming. To help, our trauma division added scribes to the rounding team. We hypothesized that scribe utilization would improve our documentation efficiency and offer a financial benefit to the institution. A review of trauma surgeon documentation and billing was performed at a Level I trauma center over two time periods: January to May 2014 (no scribes) and January to May 2015 (scribes). The number of notes written by trauma surgeons was obtained, as were documentation charges. Documentation efficiency was determined by noting both the hour of the day in which inpatient progress notes were written and the number of notes written after patient discharge. In the 2014 period, a total of 9726 notes were written by trauma attendings. In the 2015 period, 10,933 were written. Despite having 407 fewer trauma patient-days in the 2015 period, the group wrote 343 notes/week versus 298 notes/week (P = 0.008). More inpatient progress notes were written earlier in the working day and fewer were written in the evening. Fewer notes were written after patient discharge (12.7 vs 8.4%). A total of 1,664 hours of scribe time were used over the 5-month period, generating an expense of $32,787. The additional notes generated by scribes resulted in $191,394 in charges. Conservatively, assuming a 20 per cent charge reimbursement, the cost of the scribes was covered. The addition of scribes to the daily trauma rounding team improved note efficiency and increased charge capture at our center.

Incorporation of Scribes Into the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic Improves Quality of Care and Physician Productivity.

Background: Electronic health records (EHRs), despite their positive attributes, increase physician workload and decrease efficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of scribes in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic on improvement of the physician-patient relationship, physician productivity, clinical efficiency, and achievement of some Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) metrics. Methods: We analyzed of pre- and postscribe data between fiscal years 2015 (FY15) and 2016 (FY16) using data from patients at the Inflammatory Bowel Clinic at the University of Florida. The main outcomes were patient satisfaction scores (PSS), qualitative physician interview, clinic appointment lengths, work relative value units (wRVUs), level of coding, revenue, and PQRS data on bone density screening and vaccination. Results: PSS increased from 6.8/10 to 9.2/10 (P < 0.01), clinic appointment length decreased by 13.5 minutes (P < 0.05), and documentation stress decreased. Clinic visits increased by 76, leading to an increase in work RVUs by 332.55, total charges billed by $71,439, and total charges collected by $27,387 between the first quarters of FY15 and FY16. The extra revenue for the first quarter was 536% higher than the salary of the scribe for the same period ($4302.84). There was a 1.8-fold increase in referrals for bone density scans and 2.9-fold and 4.8-fold increases in vaccination rates for influenza and pneumonia, respectively. Conclusions: The use of scribes improved the physician-patient relationship, clinical efficiency, physician productivity, bone density screening, and vaccinations for flu and pneumonia. If adopted by health systems, it may lead to significant cost savings and improved clinical outcomes.

Advance Care Planning in an Accountable Care Organization Is Associated with Increased Advanced Directive Documentation and Decreased Costs.

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) documents patient wishes and increases awareness of palliative care options. OBJECTIVE: To study the association of outpatient ACP with advanced directive documentation, utilization, and costs of care. DESIGN: This was a case-control study of cases with ACP who died matched 1:1 with controls. We used 12 months of data pre-ACP/prematch and predeath. We compared rates of documentation with logit model regression and conducted a difference-in-difference analysis using generalized linear models for utilization and costs. SETTING/SUBJECTS: Medicare beneficiaries attributed to a large rural-suburban-small metro multisite accountable care organization from January 2013 to April 2016, with cross reference to ACP facilitator logs to find cases. MEASUREMENTS: The presence of advance directive forms was verified by chart review. Cost analysis included all utilization and costs billed to Medicare. RESULTS: We matched 325 cases and 325 controls (51.1% female and 48.9% male, mean age 81). 320/325 (98.5%) ACP versus 243/325 (74.8%) of controls had a Healthcare Power of Attorney (odds ratio [OR] 21.6, 95% CI 8.6-54.1) and 172/325(52.9%) ACP versus 145/325 (44.6%) controls had Practitioner Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.02-1.90) post-ACP/postmatch. Adjusted results showed ACP cases had fewer inpatient admissions (-0.37 admissions, 95% CI -0.66 to -0.08), and inpatient days (-3.66 days, 95% CI -6.23 to -1.09), with no differences in hospice, hospice days, skilled nursing facility use, home health use, 30-day readmissions, or emergency department visits. Adjusted costs were $9,500 lower in the ACP group (95% CI -$16,207 to -$2,793). CONCLUSIONS: ACP increases documentation and was associated with a reduction in overall costs driven primarily by a reduction in inpatient utilization. Our data set was limited by small numbers of minorities and cancer patients.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Work Flow Innovation: Impact on Documentation and Billing.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact that an innovative automated ultrasound (US) work flow, which allows for bedside performance of examination documentation and order placement, has on point-of-care US billing compared to ordering US examinations through an electronic medical record. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of point-of-care US billing data (March 2014-February 2016) for adult and pediatric emergency departments with an emergency medicine residency and a US fellowship. An innovative work flow with the ability to automate US billing and selectively transfer the images and reports for patient care examinations to an electronic medical record and picture archiving and communication system using the QPath US work flow solution (Telexy Healthcare, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada) was implemented. The total number of examinations billed and percent increase in technical and professional revenue, excluding examinations performed by US fellows, before and after implementation of the automated work flow innovation were determined. RESULTS: After implementation of our automated US work flow process, the number of patient care US examinations billed increased significantly due to completing documentation and immediate billing determination at the bedside. The increase in percent billing relative to total examinations was noted in both technical (32% to 61%; P < .0001) and professional (37% to 65%; P < .0001) billing components. In addition, there was a net increase in technical and professional fee revenue to 96% and 78%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of an innovative automated work flow to include bedside point-of-care US documentation, order placement, and the automated transfer of images and reports led to a significant increase in US billing revenue, documentation, and compliance.

Implications of Clinical Documentation (In)Accuracy: A Pilot Study Among General Surgery Residents.

Accurate and reliable medical records are necessary for assessing, improving, and reimbursing healthcare services. Clear and concise physician documentation is essential to assuring accurate and reliable medical records. Yet, prior literature reveals surgery residents do not receive adequate, beneficial education on medical record documentation and coding. This is concerning because the evaluation of and reimbursement for healthcare service delivery relies on the physician's ability to produce appropriate medical records, which then get translated into billable codes. This pilot study suggests hospitals may incur significant financial loss in revenue due to inaccurate clinical documentation by residents. Thus, educational training for medical residents in the area of clinical documentation and hospital-specific coding practices may prove financially advantageous.

Case Management and the Documentation of Avoidable Days.

PURPOSE OF STUDY: Avoidable Days/Delays (ADs) account for a large portion of dollars lost for many health care organizations, and with ongoing changes in health care reimbursement, available funds will become increasingly limited. Avoidable Days cannot be reduced or eliminated without accurate causal documentation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a system upgrade with a change in documentation layout for AD tracking increased case manager compliance with AD documentation. In addition, staff perceptions and opinions on AD documentation were obtained to determine whether or not these perceptions could affect accurate documentation of ADs. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING: A large academic medical center. METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE: Quantitative data were gathered through a survey completed by the hospital's case managers, and raw data were obtained from the electronic health record system on the number of documented ADs before and after the system upgrade. RESULTS: The results indicated that the system upgrade did improve case manager documentation of ADs. Survey results suggested that more education was needed on ADs, including information on financial impact, importance of accurate documentation, and plans for performance improvement initiatives for frequently documented AD causes. IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: The majority of surveyed case managers felt that they would benefit from increased education on AD documentation. Recommendations for case management practice include (1) incorporating AD education into the orientation curriculum for new case managers, (2) readdressing the importance of AD documentation in case managers' annual review education, and (3) extending AD education to additional hospital staff to make AD tracking an organizational commitment.

Impact of Scribes on Billed Relative Value Units in an Academic Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Scribe use throughout health care is becoming more common. There is limited peer-reviewed literature supporting this emerging role in health care despite rapid uptake of the role. OBJECTIVES: Our study assesses impact of scribes on relative value units (RVUs) in adult and pediatric emergency departments (EDs). METHODS: A prospective cohort study was developed in a tertiary academic ED. Charts were coded by an external billing and coding company, then returned and mapped by International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision diagnostic codes. After training by a staff member with significant experience in implementing scribe programs, scribes provided 1-to-1 support to a provider as staffing allowed. Comparisons were made between scribed and nonscribed visits. RESULTS: There were 49,389 patient visits during the study period (39,926 adult [80.84%] and 9463 pediatric [19.16%] visits), of which 7865 (15.9%) were scribed. For adults, scribed visits produced 0.20 additional RVUs per patient (p < 0.001). Scribes generated additional RVUs in Emergency Severity Index (ESI) 2 (p < 0.001) and 3 (p < 0.001) patients. There were variable effects of scribes on RVUs by diagnostic codes. For pediatric patients, scribed encounters generated 0.08 fewer RVUs per patient (p = 0.007). ESI score had no effect on RVUs. The impact of scribes on pediatric diagnostic groupings was inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: Scribes had a positive impact on RVUs in adult but not pediatric patients. Among adults, scribes led to higher RVUs in ESI 2 and 3 but not 4 and 5 patients, perhaps suggesting a limitation to improve revenue capture on lower-acuity patients.